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DEMYEN
“Nope.”
Tolya immediately spins on his heels to face the guards who just brought him in.
“Tolya, please.” I pull a chair out for Clara to sit in and gesture for him to join us. I don’t know what good that will do since the man is trying to leave, but fuck it. Worth a try. “Just hear us out.”
“Oh, so it’s an ‘us’ now?” He does turn back around, but not because he’s particularly happy about our little revelation. “What, is her pussy made of solid gold?”
I shove my hands into my pockets because they’re balling into fists. This is the worst place to get into a wrestling match with my brother.
“I’m going to very nicely ask you to show some respect,” I growl.
Tolya eyes Clara. “How am I supposed to feel about my little brother fucking the girl who ruined my life?” He approaches the table, but instead of sitting down in one of the cheap plastic chairs, he braces his fists on the tabletop and leans in close to herface. “You’re the one who should be in here. Not me. So unless you’re here to confess, I don’t have anything to say to you and I sure as shit don’t have any reason to listen to you.”
“What does she have to confess?” I ask.
Tolya stares at us for a long, silent moment. Then, for whatever reason, he decides to sit down. “Okay, fine. Let’s play your little game.” Leaning forward, he rasps, “Youkilled Michael Little.”
“Ah.” I lean back in the chair. The puzzle pieces are falling into place. “Oleg’s been here.”
“That’s ‘Otets’ to you, little brother.”
“I think I’m perfectly capable of deciding what I call the man who kidnapped my woman and tried to assault her,big brother.”
Tolya stills. His face betrays nothing before he looks at me warily. “I’m listening.”
I like to think I have the patience of a saint, despite being the devil. It’s the only reason I haven’t throttled my stubborn ass sibling yet.
“As I was saying,” I explain through gritted teeth, “we’re here because we have updates. News.”
“Yeah?” Tolya arches a brow. “So did Otets. He told me he finally caught Michael Little’s murderer.” He looks at Clara again. “And that if the American legal system failed, he’d take her to Russia to try our luck there.”
Clara pales. She doesn’t say anything, but she doesn’t have to. The slight lean in her body tells me she’s either about to throw up or pass out.
I wrap an arm around her shoulder to help steady her. “If that’s all he told you, and that’s what you genuinely believe… then you’re a fucking idiot.”
Tolya shoves the chair backwards with a screech as he stands halfway. “I don’t have to listen to?—”
“Sit the fuck down and shut the fuck up.”
Tolya turns his fury against me.Good. “Youdon’t get to tellmewhat to do!”
“I’m doing exactly that, as your brother and as the leader of this family.Ourfamily. So if you want to actually leave this place for good, grab your ears and firmly remove your head from your ass so you can listen better.”
The corner of his mouth twitches. He won’t admit it, but it’s as good as a laugh.
I stole his old line.
“Of course that’s what Father told you,” I continue as we both lower back into our chairs. “He knows exactly what to say to get you to agree with him. He always has.”
Tolya subtly nods, conceding the point. I’ll take it.
I reach into my pocket and pull out the only device the prison guards would let me bring through: an old-school tape recorder with no internet access.
“The fuck is that?” Tolya grumbles as he eyes the device.
“Just listen.” I press the play button.
